Drying apparatus



F'. L. ALLEN ET AL.

DRYING APPARATUS Filed March '7, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l wmm Aug. 14, 1928.

F. L. ALLEN ETAL DRYING APPARATUS Filed March 7, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented ug. i4, i928.

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l rearrartr FRANK L. ALLEN, OE MONTOLAIR, NEW JERSEY, AND ARTHUR n. FLOWER, or WIL- MINGTON, DELAWARE, AssGNoRs 'ro EDGE MOOR IRON COMPANY, 0E EDGE MOOR,

DELAWARE.

DRYING APPARATUS.

Application filed March 7, 1927, Serial No. 173,373, and in Cuba March 2, 1926.

Our invention relates to drying apparatus especially designed for drying bagasse but capable of -application to drying 'other sub.- stances. Y i

The Objects of our inventionV are -to provide in an apparatus comprising a multiple series of drying apparatus and means for heating them externally and for delivering material from oneto the other progressively downward, means forV drawing off from the chambers the steam and gases generated therein and, preferably, means for 1ntroducing air or gas into the separate cham-V bers to aid in sweeping the steam and gas l5 out of the chambers. s Another feature of our invention is to combine with the heating chambers a heating flue enclosing the chambers, of progressively contracting area so as to maintain the heating gases at an approximation to constant velocity as they contract on cooling. Other features of our invention will be best explained in connection with the drawings which show a drying apparatus embodying our invention and in which Figure l is a sectional elevation of our apparatus.

Figure 2, a cross section on line 2-2 of Fig. l.

Figure 3 a diagrammatic view showing how the chutes connecting the drying chambers are inclined and Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 are views corresponding to sections 4 4, 5 5, 6-6 and 7 -7 of Fig. l, and showing the construction of the plates and baies which divide the heating tower and the space between the chambers into a tortuous heating lue.

A is a vertical cylindrical tower through which heating gases, preferably waste heat gases, introduced through conduit M pass upward and are drawn oi'I" at P by a fan indicated at Q. B is a cylindrical foundation wall supporting the series of angle irons 45. O O, etc., which in turn support the drying chambers K, K, K, etc. These cham# bers are cylindrical and their bottoms are formed by the plates D, D1, D2, etc., which for the greater part of their circumference extend across the space between the chambers and the wall of the tower and are formed with openings 0l, (Z1, d2, etc. lying between the baies E, E, E1, E1, etc., which' extend between each heating chamber and of the chambers.

the wall ot the tower and upward to the nextvbottom plate as shown. The openings CZ, all, d2, ete. are disposed alternately on opposite sides of the tower so as to divide the tower and the spaces between the chambers into a tortuous iiue which as the chambers and their bottom plates are spaced closer together in an upward direction contracts in area so as to maintain an approximation to uniform velocity in the heating gases as they contract by cooling.

The chambers are connected in series by chutes G1, G2, G3, etc., which are radially disposed and are long and relatively narrow with their length llying parallel to the direction of gas flow in the How spaces between the chambers.y These chutes are also given a slant so thatmaterial passing from an upper' to a lower chamber is delivered to one side of the chute opening leading from such lower chamber.

H is a hollow shaft driven by the gearing indicated at and passing through the centers of the drying chambers and sweeps J secured to the .shaft operate to carry the material being dried around on the bottoms Openings H1 in the lower part of the hollow shaft serve for the admission of air and openings H2 through the shaft serve to deliver air into each drying chamber,K, K, K, etc. Openings lead through the walls of the chambers into the surrounding flue spaces through which openings steam, gas, and air can flow from the chamber into the lue.

N is a chute for the delivery of bagasse to the upper drying chamber.

In operation, bagasse is delivered through chute N to drying chamber F7, carried over its floor plate to chute G7 by the sweeps J and delivered to the next lower chamber and so on until the dried bagasse is delivered through chute Gr to conveyor g. The heating gases enter at M and by the suction of fan Q, are drawn through the tortuous contracting Hue in contact with the drying chambers. Steam and gas escape from the drying chambers into the flue through openings K and their elimination is aided by the air Vflowing through the hollow shafts into the chambers through openings H2.

Y Having now described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

lacterized by having the v'radially arranged over the floor of each chamber, a heating e gas flue comprising as a part thereofnthe spaces separating vthe drying chambers and vent openings for steam and gas leadlng `from the drying. chambers into the heating flue.

'2. AThe apparatus of claim l, further characterized by having the radially arranged conduits connecting the heating chambers disposed so'as `to be parallel to the direction of heating gas` flow through the flue spaces separating the chambers.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further charconduits connecting the heating chambers arrangedkat an angle to the perpendicular and disposed so as to be parallel to the di-.

rection of heating gas iow through the flue spaces 'separating the chambers.

4. Thefapparatus of claim l. further characterized by having an air delivery conduit connected to each drying chamber.

5. The apparatus of claim l, further characterized by having the luespaces between the drying `chambers of progressively decreasing height from the bottom of the apparatus upward so as to maintain an ap- Y proximation to a uniform flow of speed of gases as they'col and contract in volume.

6. Drying apparatus comprisingincombination a vertical tower, a series of cylindrical drying chambers ot-less diameter than the interior or' the tower arranged one abovethe other in said tower separated by lspaces 4which decrease progressively from the bottomjupward, partition plates extending from the bottom of the drying chamber into the space between Vthe chambers and the ftower formingV with the spaces between the chambers a flue for heating gases, ra-

dially. disposed conduits connecting 4the heating 'chambers and extending through the spaces between,thechambers in the direction oi' the flow of gases through said spaces, Vmeans or'sweeping the material to be dried over the ioors ofthe drying chambers, means `for Asupplying air to the drying chambers and vents leading from the chambers into the `flue spaces of the tower.

FRANK L. ALLEN'.` Y ARTHURvD. FLO'WER. 

